Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2025 / Notices 1083 

voluntary; however, if the information is 

not provided, the individual will not be 

considered for appointment as a 

member of a sanctuary advisory council. 

Consent. By submitting an application 

to ONMS for appointment to a sanctuary 

advisory council, you are consenting to 

the use and disclosure of the 

information for the purposes and 

routine uses described above. However, 

if you prefer that your application be 

reviewed by NOAA employees only and 

not disclosed to current council 

members as part of the evaluation 

process, please contact the sanctuary 

advisory council coordinator to request 

internal review only, which will not 

result in any disadvantage or impact 

regarding your candidacy, or for any 

questions regarding this Privacy Act 

Statement. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

ONMS has a valid Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) control 

number (0648–0397) for the collection 

of public information related to the 

processing of ONMS national marine 

sanctuary advisory council applications 

across the National Marine Sanctuary 

System. Establishing a sanctuary 

advisory council for CHNMS fits within 

the estimated reporting burden under 

that control number. See https://

www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRASearch 

(Enter Control Number 0648–0397). 

Therefore, ONMS will not request an 

update to the reporting burden certified 

for OMB control number 0648–0397. 

Send comments regarding this burden 

estimate, or any other aspect of this data 

collection, including suggestions for 

reducing the burden, to: Office of 

National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East 

West Highway, N/NMS, Silver Spring, 

Maryland 20910. 

Notwithstanding any other provisions 

of the law, no person is required to 

respond to, nor shall any person be 

subject to a penalty for failure to comply 

with a collection of information subject 

to the requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., 

unless that collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. The OMB control number is 

#0648–0397. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq. 

John Armor, 

Director, Office of National Marine 

Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30427 Filed 1–6–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE519] 

Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; 

Fisheries Off West Coast States; 

Pacific Highly Migratory Species; 

Opening of Tier 9 Application Period 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; permit application 

period opening. 

SUMMARY: NMFS announces the opening 

of the permit application period for 

initial issuance of limited entry deep-set 

buoy gear permits under qualification 

tier 9. Authorized through 

implementation of Amendment 6 to the 

Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for 

U.S. West Coast Fisheries for Highly 

Migratory Species (HMS) and its 

implementing regulations, tier 9 was 

established as the final tier in a ranking 

system for issuance of limited entry 

deep-set buoy gear permits. Tier 9 

permits for deep-set buoy gear will be 

available through the National Permits 

System. 

DATES: The application period for initial 

issuance of deep-set buoy gear permits 

issued under tier 9 is February 1 

through March 31, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: This notice is accessible via 

the internet at the Office of the Federal 

Register website at https://

www.federalregister.gov. Background 

information on Amendment 6 to the 

HMS FMP and supporting documents 

are available at the NOAA Fisheries 

West Coast Region website at https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/westcoast. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Karen Palmigiano, karen.palmigiano@

noaa.gov or 206–526–4491. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The FMP for U.S. West Coast 

Fisheries for HMS and its implementing 

regulations at title 50 in the Code of 

Federal Regulations, part 660, subpart 

K, regulate commercial and recreational 

fishing for HMS in the U.S. exclusive 

economic zone off the coasts of 

Washington, Oregon, and California and 

in adjacent high seas waters. NMFS 

published Amendment 6 and its 

implementing regulations on May 8, 

2023 (88 FR 29545). Amendment 6 

authorizes deep-set buoy gear (DSBG) as 

an additional gear type for catching 

swordfish and other HMS in Federal 

waters off of California and Oregon. The 

Pacific Fishery Management Council 

recommended that NOAA Fisheries 

authorize DSBG as an additional 

commercial gear type to improve the 

economic viability of the West Coastbased swordfish fishery while 

minimizing bycatch to the extent 

practicable. The regulations also 

established a limited entry (LE) regime 

for ‘‘phased-in’’ permitting of DSBG 

fishing within Federal waters of the 

Southern California Bight (see 50 CFR 

660.707(g)). Tier 9 is the final phase of 

that LE permit regime. 

Tier 9 Permits 

As required by the regulations at 

§ 660.707(g)(12), once the list of initial 

approved qualifiers for tiers 1 through 8 

is exhausted, NMFS may begin 

accepting applications under tier 9. 

Additionally, as required by regulations, 

NMFS must announce the opening of 

tier 9 in the Federal Register. This 

notice serves as that announcement. 

Therefore, beginning on February 1, 

2025, and ending on March 31, 2025, 

NMFS will accept applications for 

initial issuance of LE DSBG permits 

under tier 9. NMFS will continue to 

accept applications for tier 9 permits on 

an annual basis and issue up to 25 

permits per year until a total of 300 LE 

DSBG permits are issued, unless NMFS 

determines that the maximum number 

of permits should be fewer than 300 and 

publishes a subsequent rulemaking. The 

process for initial issuance of LE DSBG 

permits to applicant that qualify under 

tier 9, which can be found at 

§ 660.707(g)(12), is summarized below. 

To qualify for a LE DSBG permit 

under tier 9, an applicant must be a 

‘‘person’’ as defined at § 660.702 and 

must not already own a LE DSBG permit 

either individually or as a shareholder 

in a business which owns a LE DSBG 

permit. 

To apply for a LE DSBG permit under 

tier 9 in 2025, a person must submit a 

complete application to NMFS through 

the National Permits System website no 

later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific daylight 

time on March 31, 2025. A complete 

initial issuance application package 

consists of the following: a completed 

initial issuance application form, which 

may include ownership interest for 

businesses, and as required under 

§ 660.707(g)(3)(ii); a current copy of the 

U.S. Coast Guard Documentation Form 

or State registration form for the vessel 

that will be registered to the permit; and 

payment of required fees. NMFS may 

require additional documentation as it 

deems necessary to make a 

determination on the application. The 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
1084 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2025 / Notices 

initial issuance application package will 

be considered incomplete until the 

required information is submitted. 

NMFS will decline to act on an 

incomplete application. 

NMFS will issue LE DSBG permits to 

approved applicants under tier 9 on a 

first come, first served basis, according 

to the date and time that their 

application was submitted through the 

National Permits System. NMFS will 

issue up to 25 permits each year. If 

NMFS approves more than 25 

applications in a single year, the 

approved applicants above 25 (who 

were not issued a permit) will receive 

priority for permit issuance the 

following year, according to the date 

and time that their complete 

applications were received. 

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. 

Dated: December 17, 2024. 

Kelly Denit, 

Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, 

National Marine Fisheries Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30443 Filed 1–6–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE481] 

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to 

Specified Activities; Taking Marine 

Mammals Incidental to the City of 

Hoonah’s Cargo Dock Project, Hoonah, 

Alaska 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; proposed incidental 

harassment authorization; request for 

comments on proposed authorization 

and possible renewal. 

SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request 

from the City of Hoonah (Hoonah) for 

authorization to take marine mammals 

incidental to pile driving and removal 

activities associated with the Hoonah 

Cargo Dock project in Hoonah, Alaska. 

Pursuant to the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is 

requesting comments on its proposal to 

issue an incidental harassment 

authorization (IHA) to incidentally take 

marine mammals during the specified 

activities. NMFS is also requesting 

comments on a possible one-time, 1- 

year renewal that could be issued under 

certain circumstances and if all 

requirements are met. NMFS will 

consider public comments prior to 

making any final decision on the 

issuance of the requested MMPA 

authorization and agency responses will 

be summarized in the final notice of our 

decision. 

DATES: Comments and information must 

be received no later than February 6, 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: Comments should be 

addressed to Jolie Harrison, Chief, 

Permits and Conservation Division, 

Office of Protected Resources, National 

Marine Fisheries Service and should be 

submitted via email to 

ITP.wachtendonk@noaa.gov. Electronic 

copies of the application and supporting 

documents, as well as a list of the 

references cited in this document, may 

be obtained online at: https://

www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/ 

marine-mammal-protection/incidentaltake-authorizations-constructionactivities. In case of problems accessing 

these documents, please call the contact 

listed below. 

Instructions: NMFS is not responsible 

for comments sent by any other method, 

to any other address or individual, or 

received after the end of the comment 

period. Comments, including all 

attachments, must not exceed a 25- 

megabyte file size. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted online at 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/permit/ 

incidental-take-authorizations-undermarine-mammal-protection-act without 

change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address) 

voluntarily submitted by the commenter 

may be publicly accessible. Do not 

submit confidential business 

information or otherwise sensitive or 

protected information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rachel Wachtendonk, Office of 

Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 427– 

8401. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The MMPA prohibits the ‘‘take’’ of 

marine mammals, with certain 

exceptions. Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and 

(D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et 

seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce 

(as delegated to NMFS) to allow, upon 

request, the incidental, but not 

intentional, taking of small numbers of 

marine mammals by U.S. citizens who 

engage in a specified activity (other than 

commercial fishing) within a specified 

geographical region if certain findings 

are made and either regulations are 

proposed or, if the taking is limited to 

harassment, a notice of a proposed IHA 

is provided to the public for review. 

Authorization for incidental takings 

shall be granted if NMFS finds that the 

taking will have a negligible impact on 

the species or stock(s) and will not have 

an unmitigable adverse impact on the 

availability of the species or stock(s) for 

taking for subsistence uses (where 

relevant). Further, NMFS must prescribe 

the permissible methods of taking and 

other ‘‘means of effecting the least 

practicable adverse impact’’ on the 

affected species or stocks and their 

habitat, paying particular attention to 

rookeries, mating grounds, and areas of 

similar significance, and on the 

availability of the species or stocks for 

taking for certain subsistence uses 

(referred to in shorthand as 

‘‘mitigation’’); and requirements 

pertaining to the monitoring and 

reporting of the takings. The definitions 

of all applicable MMPA statutory terms 

used above are included in the relevant 

sections below and can be found in 

section 3 of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1362) 

and NMFS regulations at 50 CFR 

216.103. 

National Environmental Policy Act 

To comply with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and 

NOAA Administrative Order (NAO) 

216–6A, NMFS must review our 

proposed action (i.e., the issuance of an 

IHA) with respect to potential impacts 

on the human environment. 

This action is consistent with 

categories of activities identified in 

Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no 

anticipated serious injury or mortality) 

of the Companion Manual for NAO 216– 

6A, which do not individually or 

cumulatively have the potential for 

significant impacts on the quality of the 

human environment and for which we 

have not identified any extraordinary 

circumstances that would preclude this 

categorical exclusion. Accordingly, 

NMFS has preliminarily determined 

that the issuance of the proposed IHA 

qualifies to be categorically excluded 

from further NEPA review. 

Summary of Request 

May 10, 2024, NMFS received a 

request from Hoonah for an IHA to take 

marine mammals incidental to pile 

driving and removal activities 

associated with the Hoonah Cargo Dock 

project in Hoonah, Alaska. Following 

NMFS’ review of the application, 

Hoonah submitted a revised versions on 

September 10, 2024 and October 15, 

2024. The application was deemed 

adequate and complete on October 22, 

2024. Hoonah’s request is for take of 8 

species of marine mammals by Level B 

harassment and, for a subset of these 

species, Level A harassment. Neither 

Hoonah nor NMFS expect serious injury 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1